What’s the best alternative to Gmail? Assuming that you don’t want to go back to writing letters by hand, you’re probably going to want to look into other email sites like Gmail. Here are some of the most popular alternatives.
1. Outlook
We kind of went over this one already in our Gmail vs. Outlook article, but Microsoft’s web email client has been around longer than Gmail has, and is still one of the most popular Gmail competitors, especially for businesses. It’s easier to use alongside Microsoft Office products (such as Word for text documents, PowerPoint for presentations, and Excel for spreadsheets), and has an easier time connecting to social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter. You can also get your email offline by installing the desktop application, and clean up your inbox with tools such as “Sweep” to get rid of certain types of emails or “flagging” to attach additional information (such as notes or reminder alarms) to important emails.
2. Yahoo Mail
You better believe that anything that Google and Microsoft can do, Internet giant Yahoo will be doing as well. A Gmail alternative is no exception. One thing that makes Yahoo Mail stand out is its overall memory storage capacity; while most other services only give you a few gigabytes, Yahoo Mail gives you one terabyte… that’s over 1000 gigabytes! That means you’ll almost never run out of space to store your emails with, though attachments can still only be around 25 megabytes. Yahoo Mail also has other neat features, like a calendar function that integrates weather information, so you’ll always be able to map out your activities smoothly depending on whether it’s going to be rain, shine, or anything in between.
3. Zoho Mail
Zoho is a company based in India that, like Microsoft, has its own line of office productivity programs, such as word processors, spreadsheet creators, and presentation software. Naturally, they also have an email program. It’s free to use, doesn’t show you any advertising, and comes with 5 gigabytes of storage space with the free version. Similar to Gmail and Outlook, Zoho Mail works hand-in-hand with Zoho’s other products, but it also offers support for your accounts on Google, Yahoo, and even Facebook. With even more features, including comprehensive search options, Zoho Mail is a worthy option.
4. Mail.com
Mail.com is one of the most customizable mail sites like Gmail. You can register an address at over 200 domains, based on where you’re geographically located or what you like to do. So for example, your email address could end in “@europe.com,” “@accountant.com,” “@muslim.com,” or even “@catlover.com”! Plus, if you have multiple email accounts, you can connect them all to your Mail.com account and check them in one place!
Attachments can also be up to 30 megabytes, though it is a bit clunky when it comes to cutting-and-pasting stuff directly into emails, especially pictures. Mail.com is owned by the German company responsible for Global Message eXchange (or G.M.X.), which is another excellent alternative to Gmail. If you like Mail.com but want to try something slightly different, give G.M.X. Mail a try at www.gmx.com.
5. Yandex Mail
Run by Yandex, the Russian equivalent of Google, Yandex Mail offers a free email service with lots of storage space. Similar to Gmail or other email sites like it, you can filter incoming messages and decide where to put them or what to do with them, download multiple attachments at once, view different types of computer files right in the Yandex Mail interface, and create custom labels to make sure that your inbox is organized.
Two of Yandex Mail’s rather unique features are that you can record and send video messages (assuming that you have a webcam), or design and send virtual greeting cards as emails! Yandex Mail is also available in app form in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, so you can take it with you on the go!
Have you used any of these Gmail alternatives? Was there something good or bad about them that you think we should add so that our users know about it? Or are there other email services that you’ve tried that you think our users would like as well? Leave a comment below, or on our Facebook or Twitter pages, and we’ll put it on our to-do list! If you are ready to try a competitor and want to cancel your Gmail account, we have a step-by-step tutorial on how to delete your Gmail account.
